Watching the Water As We Work

Watching the Water as We Work

Annual Water Quality Monitoring Report

2001

IllinoisValley Watershed Council

and

The Illinois Valley Soil Water Conservation District

Produced with cooperation and funding from

The Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board (OWEB)

The Illinois basin water quality monitoring program has been monitoring water quality in the basin for over five years. This program has developed over time but has remained true to its guiding precept “to objectively report water quality information for use in planning and restoration efforts.” Our information has been shared with all interested parties through the statewide database managed by the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (ODEQ), and through restoration projects around the basin. The information collected is now being used to better understand the dynamics of our hydrological regime. In the future, this information paired with new research findings and, site specific condition assessments will better enable resource managers and planners to make sound choices.

The information we have been collecting seems to support the ODEQ’s assertion that waters in our basin are only impaired by temperature, flow modification, and possibly habitat modification. In general our streams begin to exceed the temperature standard sometime in July and will continue to do so until ambient temperatures decrease or fall rains begin and the stream temperatures drop. Flow modification problems also occur during this same period. Demands for water peak during the lowest flows of the year. Habitat Modification is a mix of natural and human induced changes to the local streams that contribute to a reduction in numbers or a change in the community composition of aquatic wildlife.

Not all the information that we have gathered is negative. With some isolated instances, the Ph of our waterways does not seem to be an impediment to aquatic health. During the summer, flows are low enough that sediment does not pose a major problem, most erosive events occur during the winter and spring during high flows. Our streams carry dissolved materials within the normal and acceptable range expected for surface waters, as demonstrated by our conductivity testing. The other parameter that we have been monitoring is dissolved oxygen; this level varies widely throughout the system. Dissolved oxygen is very closely linked to temperature and flows, where we have problems with temperature and flow we have dissolved oxygen issues. Luckily, stream morphologies are conducive to aeration, and refuge areas exist, enabling aquatic organisms to survive and, in some cases thrive.

The program has also come up with some interesting questions in its search for information. We now wonder if we should start monitoring other parameters that may tell us more about our system. Where can we make the greatest contribution to our watershed health? Are we monitoring the critical periods of the year? What parameters should we monitor in the basin? In each sub basin? Questions such as these compel us to continue to develop our program to monitor, report, and educate on the topic of water quality.

What follows is a summary of the information gathered during the 2001 field season. The raw information is archived in the district office and can be reviewed by saved to build a historical record of water quality and its changes over time. If you have questions about any of the information presented here or general questions about water quality issues please contact the helpful staff at the Illinois Valley Soil and Water Conservation District at (541) 592-373. They will be able to refer you to the appropriate individuals to get your questions answered.

Average conductivity by site

Average turbidity by site

Average dissolved oxygen by site by month

June

July

August

September

Average water temperature by site by month

June

July

August

September

New landowner participants are always welcome. Please call if you are interested in having a monitoring site on your property.

Average PH by site

Standard unit

Anderson Cr. / 7.67
Deer Creek main stem / 7.21
Deer Cr Above Mouth / 7.28
McMullen Creek / 8.31
KellyCreek / 7.80
Sucker Creek @ LowerBridge / 7.47
Sucker Creek @ UpperBridge / 7.85
Sucker Creek @ Cannon Ranch / 7.68
Mouth of Althouse Creek / 7.47
West Fork Illinois River @ Mouth / 7.99
East Fork Illinois River @ Mouth / 8.23
East Fork Illinois Above mouth Of Page Cr. / 8.04
West Fork Illinois Above Rough & Ready Cr / 8.23
West Fork Illinois below Rough & Ready Cr / 8.19
West Fork Illinois @ Mouth of Elk Cr. / 8.33
West Fork Illinois below Elk Cr. / 8.07
Elk at 199 / 7.59
Broken Kettle @ Or. Mt. Rd. / 7.86

Average conductivity by site

S/cm1

Anderson Cr. / 155.8
Deer Creek main stem / 88.2
Deer Cr Above Mouth / 152.7
McMullen Creek / 160.5
KellyCreek / 108.9
Sucker Creek @ LowerBridge / 106.4
Sucker Creek @ UpperBridge / 111.8
Sucker Creek @ Cannon Ranch / 103.8
Mouth of Althouse Creek / 138.3
West Fork Illinois River @ Mouth / 157.3
East Fork Illinois River @ Mouth / 134.7
East Fork Illinois Above mouth Of Page Cr. / 144.9
West Fork Illinois Above Rough & Ready Cr / 139.2
West Fork Illinois below Rough & Ready Cr / 141.0
West Fork Illinois @ Mouth of Elk Cr. / 128.8
West Fork Illinois below Elk Cr. / 74.1
Elk at 199 / 66.9
Broken Kettle @ Or. Mt. Rd. / 77.2

Average turbidity by site

N.T.U.2

Anderson Cr. / 1.7
Deer Creek main stem / 0.7
Deer Cr Above Mouth / 2.1
McMullen Creek / 1.3
KellyCreek / 2.7
Sucker Creek @ LowerBridge / 0.6
Sucker Creek @ UpperBridge / 0.8
Sucker Creek @ Cannon Ranch / 0.7
Mouth of Althouse Creek / 0.6
West Fork Illinois River @ Mouth / 0.8
East Fork Illinois River @ Mouth / 0.6
East Fork Illinois Above mouth Of Page Cr. / 0.5
West Fork Illinois Above Rough & Ready Cr / 1.2
West Fork Illinois below Rough & Ready Cr / 0.9
West Fork Illinois @ Mouth of Elk Cr. / 0.5
West Fork Illinois below Elk Cr. / 0.8
Elk at 199 / 0.8
Broken Kettle @ Or. Mt. Rd. / 0.4

Average dissolved oxygen by site

Mg O2/liter

Anderson Cr. / 6.6
Deer Creek main stem / 4.9
Deer Cr Above Mouth / 4.3
McMullen Creek / 7.9
KellyCreek / 7.2
Sucker Creek @ LowerBridge / 5.0
Sucker Creek @ UpperBridge / 8.1
Sucker Creek @ Cannon Ranch / 7.3
Mouth of Althouse Creek / 6.7
West Fork Illinois River @ Mouth / 7.3
East Fork Illinois River @ Mouth / 8.8
East Fork Illinois Above mouth Of Page Cr. / 8.1
West Fork Illinois Above Rough & Ready Cr / 8.2
West Fork Illinois below Rough & Ready Cr / 8.6
West Fork Illinois @ Mouth of Elk Cr. / 8.7
West Fork Illinois below Elk Cr. / 9.1
Elk at 199 / 8.4
Broken Kettle @ Or. Mt. Rd. / 8.3

Average High water temperature by site by month

Junemaximum/avg./avg. high

In degrees Celsius

Anderson Cr. / 18.3/14.3/16
Deer Creek main stem / 18.8/15.9/17.2
Deer Cr Above Mouth / 25.8/19.5/20.6
McMullen Creek / 17.5/13.9/15.2
KellyCreek / Probe lost
Sucker Creek @ LowerBridge / 20.2/15.7/17.3
Sucker Creek @ UpperBridge / 22.1/15.8/18.5
Sucker Creek @ Cannon Ranch / 21.4/15.5/16.3
Mouth of Althouse Creek / 18.3/14.3/16.0
West Fork Illinois River @ Mouth / 24.6/19.4/21.2
East Fork Illinois River @ Mouth / Probe lost
East Fork Illinois Above mouth Of Page Cr. / 20.5/15.4/17.7
West Fork Illinois Above Rough & Ready Cr / 23.9/19.1/20.9
West Fork Illinois below Rough & Ready Cr / 26.0/19.4/21.7
Mouth of Elk Cr. / 21.5/14.9/17.0
West Fork Illinois below Elk Cr. / 23.9/16.4/18.9
Elk at 199 / Probe lost
Broken Kettle @ Or. Mt. Rd. / 13.9/11.6/12.4

Julymaximum/avg./avg. high

In degrees Celsius

Anderson Cr. / 18.8/14.1/15.2
Deer Creek main stem / 25.7/18.1/19.8
Deer Cr Above Mouth / 26.9/23.0/24.7
McMullen Creek / 18.8/16.7/17.4
KellyCreek / Probe lost
Sucker Creek @ LowerBridge / 19.8/17.1/18.2
Sucker Creek @ UpperBridge / 22.9/18.7/21.3
Sucker Creek @ Cannon Ranch / 22.1/18.1/19.2
Mouth of Althouse Creek / 18.8/14.1/15.2
West Fork Illinois River @ Mouth / 25.2/22.1/24.3
East Fork Illinois River @ Mouth / Probe lost
East Fork Illinois Above mouth Of Page Cr. / 22.4/18.5/21.2
West Fork Illinois Above Rough & Ready Cr / 25.9/22.4/24.4
West Fork Illinois below Rough & Ready Cr / 28.4/22.8/26.4
Mouth of Elk Cr. / 22.5/18.1/20.3
West Fork Illinois below Elk Cr. / 25.1/19.9/22.8
Elk at 199 / Probe lost
Broken Kettle @ Or. Mt. Rd. / 15.6/13.7/14.4

Augustmaximum/avg./avg. high

In degrees Celsius

Anderson Cr. / 13.12/12.5/12.7
Deer Creek main stem / Probe left dry
Deer Cr Above Mouth / 27.6/22.5/24.6
McMullen Creek / 30.5/17.7/20.2
KellyCreek / Probe lost
Sucker Creek @ LowerBridge / 19.3/17.6/18.9
Sucker Creek @ UpperBridge / 22.8/18.9/21.4
Sucker Creek @ Cannon Ranch / 22.6/18.5/19.3
Mouth of Althouse Creek / 13.1/12.5/12.7
West Fork Illinois River @ Mouth / 26.7/22.1/24.9
East Fork Illinois River @ Mouth / Probe lost
East Fork Illinois Above mouth Of Page Cr. / 23.2/18.9/21.8
West Fork Illinois Above Rough & Ready Cr / 26.9/21.7/24.0
West Fork Illinois below Rough & Ready Cr / 31.7/22.2/27.3
Mouth of Elk Cr. / 22.5/18.2/20.1
West Fork Illinois below Elk Cr. / 26.0/19.9/23.4
Elk at 199 / Probe lost
Broken Kettle @ Or. Mt. Rd. / 15.9/14.2/14.7

September maximum/avg./avg. high

In degrees Celsius

Anderson Cr. / 13.1/12.8/12.1
Deer Creek main stem / 21.4/17.7/18.3
Deer Cr Above Mouth / 23.6/18.3/19.2
McMullen Creek / 19.0/15.8/16.5
KellyCreek / Probe lost
Sucker Creek @ LowerBridge / 18.9/16.9/16.9
Sucker Creek @ UpperBridge / 20.9/17.3/17.8
Sucker Creek @ Cannon Ranch / 21.3/16.8/17.0
Mouth of Althouse Creek / 13.1/12.8/12.1
West Fork Illinois River @ Mouth / 24.9/19.5/22.3
East Fork Illinois River @ Mouth / Probe lost
East Fork Illinois Above mouth Of Page Cr. / 21.6/16.8/19.0
West Fork Illinois Above Rough & Ready Cr / 23.6/18.2/20.0
West Fork Illinois below Rough & Ready Cr / 26.4/18.2/23.0
Mouth of Elk Cr. / 19.3/14.9/15.5
West Fork Illinois below Elk Cr. / 22.0/16.6/18.3
Elk at 199 / Probe lost
Broken Kettle @ Or. Mt. Rd. / 14.5/12.8/13.2
October maximum/avg./avg.high
In degrees Celsius
Anderson Cr
Deer Creek main stem
Deer Cr Above Mouth
McMullen Creek
KellyCreek
13.6/10.5/8.5
17.5/15.5/11.9
18.1/14.7/12.0
18.3/13.8/12.2
Probe lost
Sucker Creek @ LowerBridge / 17.5/16.0/12.4
Sucker Creek @ UpperBridge / 18.3/15.6/12.5
Sucker Creek @ Cannon Ranch / 14.9/9.3/18.2
Mouth of Althouse Creek / 13/12.6/12.9
West Fork Illinois River @ Mouth / 20.6/17.2/19.6
East Fork Illinois River @ Mouth / Probe lost
East Fork Illinois Above mouth Of Page Cr. / 18.14/14.8/17.0
West Fork Illinois Above Rough & Ready Cr / 17.8/15.1/16.4
West Fork Illinois below Rough & Ready Cr / 20.3/14.8/18.6
Mouth of Elk Cr. / 14.9/12.2/9.8
West Fork Illinois below Elk Cr. / 17.5/13.7/11.5
Elk at 199 / Probe lost
Broken Kettle @ Or. Mt. Rd. / 12.1/11.3/11.6

1 S/cm1 Micro-siemens per centimeter

2 N.T.U. Nephalometric Turbidity Units